Stained
by SophiaScarlett
Summary: The rumour at Hogwarts is that the new Head Girl can't stand the new Head Boy... who so happens to be Quidditch Captain, James Potter.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **1 September 2023**

The steam from the Hogwarts Express spiralled into the air, welcoming a new school year. Between the confusion of families in the platform 9 ¾ stood a small family of four. The mother held her daughter's cart where a horned owl was screeching next to a pile of books, the father kept a hand on the daughter's shoulder and tried to enjoy the last moments before the girl embarked. They had run out of new topics some minutes ago, but they kept asking the same questions again and again just for the sake of talking.

"So how does it feel to wear the badge?"

Three pairs of appraising eyes locked into the _Head Girl_ badge over Jean Scamander's clothes. Her parents were dramatically teary eyed and Noah seemed as proud as any older brother could be of a sister who was following his footsteps.

"It… feels weird, I guess."

Jean glanced at the _Hogwarts Express_ behind them, surrounded by the flock of excited students who were saying goodbye to their parents. She would have to keep them all in track for the next ten months. She would be the one to have the last judgment over the fights. A group of kids near them started fighting over a chocolate frog before even getting inside the train and she winced before turning back to face her family. "I'm… kind of scared, to be honest."

She had held her composure about it all though the holidays and hadn't even made a big deal out of it when she had received the letter naming her as Head Girl. The badge had passed through the hands of everyone in the family, all of them Ravenclaws, all of them previous Head Boys and Head Girls, patting her in the shoulder, smiling with pride since she was good enough to keep the family's legacy. She had even felt excitement then, or at least something close to accomplishment for reaching up to her family's expectations.

But now that she really had to go perform her first official duty – giving advice to the newest Prefects – she was feeling a lump on her throat and her heart beating way too fast.

"There's nothing to worry about." Noah smiled at her gently, sensing her nervousness. He was much taller than her, so she had to look up in time to watch a hazel lock fall to one of his eyes. "It's just like being a Prefect."

"Yeah. Just with ten times more responsibility," she muttered, shaking her head and facing her brother with a forced smile.

"Ten? I'd say at least fifty."

He grinned. She didn't.

"Any last piece of advice?"

He leaned to her and whispered in her year.

"Get them before they get you," he said dramatically.

Jean elbowed him and her brother laughed and straightened up. People used to say that they looked alike, but Jean thought that it was only due to the same colour of the eyes, of an uncharacteristic baby blue tone, and the same hazel brown hair. Their personalities couldn't be more different, though. Noah was the golden boy of his age at Hogwarts. He had been the Ravenclaw Quidditch Seeker for six years straight and won every match. He had been a Prefect and Head Boy and he had had the highest marks in his NEWTs since the current Minister of Education.

"I wonder who's Head Boy this year, though?" Noah said with curiosity, scanning the crowd, probably trying to spot someone already wearing the matching _Head Boy_ badge. "I hope it's a Ravenclaw, we always sort things better."

Jean had to agree. They were the only truly impartial House – they solved conflicts through rationality.

She was about to agree out loud when something crushed her. A strong smell of shampoo and baked bread overwhelmed her nose and she gasped for air. "Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you!" Her mother had squeezed her into a warm, tight hug. "We'll write you every day."

"Every _day_?" Jean made an effort to break free of her mother's hug, as gently as possible. "Mom, you've always written me once a _week_ and it was always more than enough."

"Mom and Dad think you'll get lonely because it's your last year." Noah couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.

Jean grabbed her mother's hands. "I've made friends, Mom. I've managed without Noah since my second year. I'll be _fine_."

"Still-" Her mother started.

"-I'll write you _twice_ a day, Jeaney," Noah interrupted teasingly. Jean tried to nudge him with her elbow again but this time Noah grabbed her arm.

"I really need to get going now," Jean said as she broke free from her brother's grip. Saying goodbye was taking too long and she could feel a sort of nostalgia kicking in already. "See you guys at Christmas."

Her parents hugged her again, followed by Noah, who unlike him crushed her tightly like he didn't want her to go either. She flashed them a last smile, crossed the small stairs leading to the wagon and waved them a final time before facing what was inside.

* * *

The inside of the Hogwart's Express was buzzing with confusion and happiness as she stepped out of the bathroom in her wizard robes and made her way to the Prefect wagon. Kids and teenagers from every age bumped in the corridors, opened doors and found their friends. There was excitement, smiles and loud laughs, hugs, reunions, friendly kicks and nudges, and energy pouring out from every corner. She said hello to everyone she knew and peeked inside several wagons hoping to recognize her friends.

She didn't find either of them as she reached the last wagon – the Prefect wagon – and slid the door open.

The Prefects were already sitting on the comfortable velvet chairs around the wooden table filled with drinks and candies from the Trolley witch, the fifth years clearly sitting a bit more nervous because it was their first year and they didn't want to screw up. Jean recognized everyone, from the sixth years to the new fifth years who looked nervous and thrilled, namely Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. She was glad to have Scorpius on the team... he was rather kind and friendly for a Slytherin and he was also a familiar sight from the library.

She noticed that the Head Boy, whoever he was, was still not there.

Jean made her way to the one of the two empty chairs at the head of the table and sat. She was too nervous. She placed a hand on the pocket of her robes and felt her fingers brush in the notes she had scribbled for the new students, but now that she really was in the wagon, in front of them, she thought that it felt ridiculous to start reading out of a paper.

Instead, she cleared her throat.

"Hello and welcome to a new school year." She smiled and was rewarded by polite smiles. "We are gathered here today because…"

She continued her speech, but instantly felt that something was wrong. Everything she had memorized at home now seemed really boring, like a forced lecture. Everyone's faces were darkening with boredom.

She was halfway through the speech when suddenly the door burst open and a boy appeared.

Jean recognized him instantly – the whole school would have recognized him instantly.

Dark untidy hair falling to bright brown eyes, athletic and tanned from a summer of Quidditch outside, a small smile playing on his lips as he stepped inside. The whole room turned to him and their bored faces suddenly lightened up. Jean bit her lip.

"Potter, please. There's a meeting going on."

He raised an eyebrow and pointed at the badge he was wearing over his robes, the letters stating "HEAD BOY" against a ruby red Gryffindor tone. Jean blinked.

It couldn't be.

James Potter?

 _The_ James Potter…was the new Head Boy?

He tilted his head. "And you are…?"

Jean blinked. She couldn't even begin to count the number of classes they'd had together for six whole years. And he seriously didn't know who she was?

Some people laughed.

"Jean Chase."

"Chase," he said with a smile as he stepped inside. "Nice to meet you." He walked towards her, rubbing his cousin Rose's hair when he passed by her and ignoring her protests, winking at others across the table until he finally reached her.

Mr Popular himself.

He held out a hand and she shook it. She remained silent as he sank on the chair next to her. Jean half expected him to lean his feet over the table. "Don't let me interrupt you. Please."

His interruption had broken her train of thought and somehow having him present behind her made things worse. If Jean felt uncomfortable before, now her cheeks were completely flaring and the words were hard to say. The Prefects' attention had drifted from her to James like they couldn't care less about what she was babbling about.

As usual, James Potter was stealing the show, even if he was quiet in the background.

And then something strange happened. At some point, everyone started making strange faces, covering their mouths and looking down like they were holding up their laughter.

One of the Prefects snorted and suddenly three more seemed keen to laugh as their eyes rested on something beside Jean – or rather, _someone_. Eyes darted between her and Potter.

She turned around quickly and saw that James Potter had his wand out. A chocolate frog was floating in the air and making some strange gestures. Jean tilted her head and the frog tilted its head as well. She frowned and the frog frowned.

And then she got it.

It was copying her every move.

Jean placed her hands on her hips and glared at Potter, who was so concentrated on the frog that he still hadn't noticed she had noticed. Only when the frog placed its hands on its hips and glared at Potter.

When their eyes locked, Potter chuckled. The spell was broken though, so the frog fell. With lightning quick reflexes, Potter caught it and shoved it in his mouth. The whole wagon laughed again.

Jean decided that the easiest way to overcome it was to ignore the whole scene and dismiss it with a small laugh. She delivered painfully the rest of the speech and everyone seemed relieved when it finally ended.

Not as relieved, however, as Jean herself.

"…and that concludes the speech. Potter, is there something you want to add?"

"Nah, haven't prepared anything," he replied easily. Jean blushed and turned back to the audience.

"…so, I made plans for the distribution in patrolling." Jean took the list from her pocket and announced the names who would be partnering up together, in which wagons they were required at and at what times. "Any questions?"

Rose Weasley's hand shot up in the air instantly.

"Yes, Rose?"

"I think there must have been some sort of mistake," she said in her usual haughty tone, flipping her flamy red, bushy hair. "You said that I am supposed to partner up with Scorpius Malfoy."

"Yes, and?"

She blinked like she didn't understand.

"So… it is _not_ a mistake?"

"No," Jean said simply. "I think you'd make a good team."

Rose scoffed and glared at Malfoy. He had turned a positive shade of red.

"May I ask," she continued icily in a tone that made Jean's blood boil, "why on earth would we 'make a good team'?"

"We're role models for all the other students, so we should give the example by showing that we see our Houses as an opportunity to _embrace_ our differences instead of enhancing them. If you're smart enough to be here, then surely, you understand it."

Several looks turned to Jean and she wondered if she had gone too far. She was still upset that the speech had gone so terrible and James had humiliated her. Rose gave her a pointed smile that didn't quite spread to her eyes.

"Of course," she said coldly.

Jean looked around with a forced smile. Clearly, the environment was tense enough by now. "Well, then, if there aren't any more questions, I think this is it for today."

The Prefects began to abandon the room. The first to get off was Rose Weasley, who strode off quickly with a bad temper, and Scorpius had to run to catch up to her. Potter was about to get off the chair but Jean turned to him.

"Not you. I need to talk to you."

He smiled and didn't move until the last Prefect closed the door behind him and they were completely alone in the wagon.

"Now Chase, if you want to make out I know a place much better than-"

She curled her hands into fists. "Are you _serious_ right now?"

Her sharp tone made his smile melt. He raised an eyebrow.

"Look." The anger that had bottling up for the past minutes was now surfacing at full strength. "Let's get some things clear from the start. Don't make fun of me in front of the other Prefects. And next time at least _try_ to come prepared and don't make me do all the talking."

"Oh right, sorry," Potter said. "Cause clearly it worked out so well. I haven't felt so bloody bored since Ancient Runes."

 _Maybe if you had payed attention you wouldn't have scored a Poor_ , she felt like saying, but unlike Potter, she didn't stoop low in her remarks. Instead, she hissed, "Bored or not, if you have something to say, don't contest my authority in front of them. So any other issues you have with me, you tell me in private. Okay?"

"Yeah, I think you're a lunatic for pairing my cousin and _Scorpius_ together."

He made a face when he said 'Scorpius', like he was Voldemort himself.

Jean almost chuckled. "Why?"

James scoffed. "A Gryffindor and a Slytherin?"

"It was on _purpose_. They're Prefects. Everyone who's here on this wagon is smart enough to look past their Houses and their differences. Which means that they will work well as a team."

"I don't think you're seeing the problem here."

"What is the problem?"

"Again, you just teamed up a Gryffindor _and a bloody Slytherin_."

"Why, because you're sworn rivals or whatever? What are you, six?"

"Chase-"

"Isn't your brother a Slytherin?"

James shrugged. "He's adopted."

Jean almost smiled at the joke. _Almost_. Instead, she sighed. She didn't want to fight on her first day – she wanted to make things right. So she stooped low and tried to appeal to his reasoning.

"Listen, Potter. The Headmistress chose me because she trusts my judgement…"

"Please," he interrupted with a chuckle. "It's obvious that she chose you because you're her pet."

Jean blinked. The words had hurt her more than anything he'd told her so far and she let it slip to her expression for a second. James's teasing faltered a little and he was about to say something but she anticipated him.

" _Excuse me_ if I wasn't picked just because I'm a Quidditch captain."

"I wasn't." The slight trace of empathy in his face left him immediately and he shrugged. "I'm here by popular vote. I have friends. You do know what _friends_ are, don't you, Scamander?"

She didn't answer. She flashed him a furious look and grabbed the notes on the table, storming towards the door.

"Leaving already? I was enjoying our private talk."

Jean felt a wave of anger tripling through her body and froze at the door, throwing him a sharp look over her shoulder. James was smiling, rolling his wand in his fingers, waiting for the comeback like it was some sort of game and she was supposed to make the next move. That was the worst part – he was _enjoying_ their banter, enjoying openly mocking her without a single care in the world.

"Like it or not, Potter, McGonagall chose me for a reason. I'm smart, and I'm professional, and I can make pretty good judgements. You… can catch a bloody flying ball in the air."

For a second, she caught the expression of shock in his face. He opened his mouth but she didn't give him time to answer – she snapped the door shut and started the patrol without him.

Everyone at Hogwarts knew that you just don't make fun of Quidditch. But making fun of Quidditch in front of James Potter, the Gryffindor seeker, who practically _breathed_ Quidditch?

She knew he wouldn't forget her so easily.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Jean Chase took the first spare seat at the Ravenclaw table and eyed the food around her with eagerness. Her stomach had been growling incessantly for the past couple of hours.

She had already decided to dive for the chicken when suddenly her vision went black.

"Guess who!"

She never had to.

"Park."

She heard a moan behind her and her vision was cleared again. A boy slumped at her right side, wearing a big grin.

"How d'you always know it's me?" He pouted.

His unruly black hair was curly and wild, almost too big compared to his short, skinny body, and his bright grey eyes were shining with excitement. To be fair, Park Roland looked crazy most of the time and his looks _did_ match his personality. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Jean loved him so much.

"You're the only person who still plays those silly children tricks."

Park faked shock and pretended to be deeply affected. "Well, I'm sorry if you've become too serious for my childishness, Miss Head Girl."

Jean rolled her eyes but couldn't help a chuckle.

"What kept you anyway?" Park continued. "You missed the Sorting."

Jean sighed. She had _really_ wanted to watch the last Sorting of her Hogwarts life with her friends, but unfortunately she had been assigned to watch over the second years. She hadn't minded much at first, since keeping twelve year olds from injuring themselves looked easy until Jean remembered that they were fueled with all the energy that they'd had to hold back for two entire months.

"A couple of kids burned one of the boats of the first years," Jean said, holding out a finger. "And then another tried to fix it but sent it flying instead. And then they tried to duel and it was a mess."

"Are they okay?"

"Guess so," Jean said between bites. "I watched them 'til McGonagall stopped by to give them detention."

Park dropped his mouth. "Geez. Detention in the first day already? Poor things."

She shrugged. "They break the rules, they deal with the consequences."

Park watched her with fascination.

"Now that's an ice queen for you."

"Don't call me that."

"Would you prefer 'Her Excellency the Head Girl'?" The look on Jean's face made him change the subject. "And how did the Head Boy do?"

"Potter stayed with the third years and everyone in his group behaved nicely," Jean said sulkily. Truth be told, she had half wanted Potter to have been in charge of misbehaving kids... The exact type that he had once been. She would have laughed to see him getting a taste of his own medicine.

Park gasped.

"Did you just say... _Potter_?"

"Yes."

" _Potter_ is Head Boy this year?" Park repeated slowly. "As in, _James Bloody Potter_?"

" _Yes_."

"Oh." Park entwined his fingers and set his chin against his hands, a deliciously evil smile spreading slowly through his lips. "Oh, Chang is _not_ going to like that."

"Well, let's hope she doesn't ask," Jean said. "I'd really love to have a quiet night."

"Is it true that Potter is the Head Boy?" A sudden voice asked behind her.

Someone slumped in the empty seat next to Jean. An Asian girl with her hair caught up in a messy ponytail, smoky eyeliner around her liquid dark eyes, pearl drop earrings pending from the lobes of her round ears, wearing chocolate brown lipstick in her tightly pursed lips.

"Chang!" Park's face lit up. "We were _just_ talking about you!"

The girl ignored him, her hard eyes fixed on Jean.

"I repeat - is it true that _James Bloody Potter_ is Head Boy? Because I'll only believe the rumour if I hear it from _you_."

Jean hesitated.

"Sorry, Chang. It's true."

Mia Chang smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead and slid it all the way down her face in utter desperation.

" _Screw. Me._ "

"It's alright," Jean said gently, even though she knew Chang well enough to know that it was _not_ alright. An explosion about to burst out was already bubbling under her skin. "It's just for one year."

" _One year_ of Potter as Head Boy will feel like bloody eternity. And I just don't get it, how did he get chosen? _I_ didn't vote for him! No one in their right mind would want that presumptuous good-for-nothing-"

"Clearly they _do_ want him since he was admitted by popular vote," Park said cheerfully.

"Jean is also Head Girl and _she_ 's not popular." Chang flashed her a look. "No offence, Jean."

"None taken."

"Are you still mad because he beat you last year at the Quidditch final?" Park rested his chin on his hand and flashed her a grin from ear to ear.

Chang almost lost it.

"He didn't beat me because he has talent, he beat me because he was bloody _lucky_. We were standing side by side on the field," she placed her flat hands vertically next to each other, "-and the wind…"

"… _was coming at full force from right to the left, causing the snitch to lean over the left where James Potter was, and making it so much easier for him to catch it_ ," Jean and Park recited at the same time and then laughed at each other. They had Chang complaining about it way too many times by now.

Chang wasn't amused. Her eyes narrowed into slits and she pointed her knife at them.

"I'm serious here. This year I'll teach him a lesson." She lowered the knife and started slicing pieces of chicken in her plate and shoving them gloomily into her mouth. "I've practiced harder than everyone else in the summer. My mother trained me herself."

"No doubt." Chang's naturally pale skin was tanned from the time spent outside playing. Chang swallowed and turned to Jean. Jean almost gulped, such was the resemblance to a sabretooth.

"Oh, and if he even thinks of trying anything with you-"

"Try anything with me?"

"-I will _stab_ him with my wand."

" _Stab_ him with your wand."

"Yes."

Park laughed. "Because cursing him would be too mainstream."

Chang shrugged. "Don't underestimate Muggle killing. It must feel better to do it with your own hands."

Park made a face between amusement and disgust.

Jean ventured, "I really doubt he would 'try anything' with me."

"Yeah, well. Who knows what kind of depraved thoughts are hiding in his head," Chang said darkly, glancing over Jean's shoulder at the Gryffindor table.

Jean turned around and stared as well.

Unlike the other three Houses who were expressing a normal dose of excitement for the first day, the Gryffindor table was dripping with confusion and sheer excitement taken to the utmost limit. It didn't matter where Jean looked, something crazy was happening – explosions, flying food, smoke coming out of ears and noses, napkins shaped like birds flying around in flocks. Lots of laughter and lots of mess. Lots of Gryffindors taking dinner to the edge.

Jean spotted James Potter immediately. He was sitting with his usual gang, laughing so hard that his face was red. In front of Potter, a boy with his back turned to Jean – probably his cousin Fred Weasley, judging by the red hair – was sporting grey donkey ears. Jean's lip quirked but she rearranged her face to hold a serious expression as she turned back to her friends.

Chang was still eyeing Potter darkly.

"Toerag," she hissed.

"Couldn't have said it better," agreed Park, shoving another piece of chicken into his already full mouth.

"Ew, didn't your mother ever warn you to swallow before you speak?"

"Like this?" Roland opened her mouth wide, revealing all of the chewed food inside, and Jean just had to look away.

"I'd forgotten just how graceful you can be, Roland," Chang remarked. Jean laughed.

Even though they had exchanged letters for the past two months, she realized now how much she had truly missed them. How much she would truly miss them as soon as the school year was over.

"Speaking of toerags," Park said.

Jean looked at the main doors of the Great Hall and saw a group of students. On closer examination, though, she realized that the group was composed of a boy - Michael Goldstein, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Chaser - and his fans. Wherever Michael went, there was always a group of girls around him that reminded Jean of flies around food.

"Hey, Quinn. How's this summer?"

Quinn looked up, threw Park a look of extreme loathing, and then went back to her notebook, this time making sure she protected it with her arm. Park's mouth fell.

"See, this is why everyone hates Ravenclaws! We're the brightest and we're always keeping cool secrets and inventions from each other. _And_ stealing them," he added with a cough.

Jean and Chang glared at him, their Ravenclaw pride boiling. There had been some incidents in the Ravenclaw history when rumours claimed that some Ravenclaw wizards had stolen research from other Houses and claimed the findings as theirs. It was a touchy subject for Ravenclaws. Park raised his hands, eyes shining. "But not me. Nope, _I_ am an open book," he stated proudly. "Everyone knows about my experiments."

"You're working on divination with _yolks_ and you've never been successful."

He faked shock. "I'm working on it!"

Jean chuckled. The conversation shifted to yolk divination and drifted to general spell experimentation.

The dinner scurried by faster than she wanted but she realized soon enough that it was time for the first years to get to bed, so she stood up and alerted the fifth year Prefects, who led the new students to their respective House dorms for the first time. Jean walked back to her friends.

"I think I'm going to bed."

"No way!" Park said. "It's like ten o'clock, Chase."

"I know, but I'm getting tired."

She really was. Her head was ringing from all the patrolling and the excitement of the first day.

"Getting old, are you?" Chang asked.

Jean stuck her tongue at her friend and heard Chang's characteristic loud laugh as she walked away. Before exiting the Hall, she glanced again at the Gryffindor's table and suppressed a chuckle when she saw that James Potter had now grown donkey ears as well. His wand was out and it took her a second to realize what he was doing – the water in his goblet rose in the air and formed a defined shape: a snitch. It started flying around, only inches away from his Housemates' heads, until it soared over the Hufflepuff's table… the Ravenclaw's table… and finally the Slytherin's. Jean lowered her pace with curiosity and stopped by the door, her eyes fixed on the transparent water snitch that had lowered its rhythm and was now hovering menacingly over the untidy black hair that belonged to none other than Albus Potter himself. Finally, James flickered his wand and the water snitch fell, splashing Albus who gasped and jumped in shock.

There was a roar of laughter in the Gryffindor table.

Albus turned away, his wet hair glued to is forehead, and looked at his brother through narrowed eyes. A sneer crossed his lips and his wand was out in a second. Last year he had become more confident, more daring, and stood up to his brother instead of just bending his head low whenever he was bullied. James gave his brother a look that said, _Bring it on!_ and Jean looked away, smiling without realising she was smiling, shaking her head slightly before resuming her walk. The chattering faded as she crossed the hallway, went down the stairs, still smiling to herself, walked down the corridor and away through the gates. A gush of the outside wind hit her face and she retrieved the wand from her pocket as she made her way through the woods.

" _Lumos_ ," she whispered softly. Light broke out from the edge of her wand. Rhythmic white puffs of smoke came from her mouth and disappeared in the crisp night air.

Instead of continuing down the path to Hagrid's Cabin, she turned in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. It would be pointless to check if she was being watched – every teacher and student was gathered in the Great Hall. Even if she was caught, she had the Head Girl excuse. She rehearsed it inside her head... _Professor, I think I heard a sound coming from there, maybe a student is out of bed_.

The crispy cold air was making her shiver and Jean held to her robes tightly. Owls were hooting in the distance; her feet cracked the dry leaves on the grass. She walked for a while, lost in thought, barely realizing that she was still thinking about Potter.

She had always had a crush on him – ever since she could remember. Ever since the first time she had seen him. He had sat across her on the boat to Hogwarts in their first year, but she doubted he remembered. She had watched him on the hallways, rehearsed in front of the mirror and tried a thousand times to approach him, to _greet_ him. But Potter was always surrounded by friends. He was always surrounded by laughter, by confusion, by pranking and cheerfulness. There was _always_ something great happening around James Potter. How could she ever have approached him? Jean Chase, the nervous girl who spent her days in the library, buried in books. Jean Chase, the outcast, who didn't even have enough courage to talk to a normal classmate unless strictly necessary, least of all to James Potter.

And when she finally _had_ talked to him… just a few hours ago…

She almost missed a step when she remembered his words.

 _Please. It's obvious that McGonagall chose you because you are her pet._

His smug smile. His teasing eyes.

He didn't even know her name.

It had hurt more than anything he could have said. There it was - the proof that Potter didn't like her. The crushing of every fantasy she had had over the past six years about him taking her to the school ball, or dedicating her a Quidditch victory.

She shook her head like the gesture could also shake her thoughts. It hadn't played out how she had imagined their first talk – she had imagined countless times that James Potter would bump into her by accident like in Muggle novels, or that one day he would tell her out of the blue that he had seen her in class and wanted to get to know her better, or stop her in the hallway and tell her that he thought she was such a great student and he was in love with her magic. She bit her lip. How could she have been so stupid?

One day back into Hogwarts, and everything was already crumbling apart.

It was obvious that McGonagall had chosen Jean because of her grades - clearly it couldn't have been by popular vote. She was failing in the whole "outstanding social reputation" part that came with being Head Girl. Maybe Potter was right – Jean herself thought that Mia Chang was a much better fit. She was fierce and had a brilliant mind, she was a great Quidditch player and of course, brave and confident. Chang had almost landed on Gryffindor.

In other words, Mia Chang was everything that Jean Chase was not.

She stopped in the middle of a step and realized that she had been looking down the whole time. She rose her eyes to the full moon above and drew a shaky breath. A cold breeze shook her hair and lifted her cloak. She felt a chill down her spine and decided it was time to go back.

No sooner had she entered back in the castle than she had made a new promise to herself. Starting tomorrow, she would stop trying to get Potter's attention. No more thinking about him at night, or day dreaming about him during classes, or fantasizing about something that could never happen.

Starting tomorrow, her attention would be completely focused on her friends, and her duties as the new Head Girl.

* * *

 ** _AN: Hello everyone :) If you're reading this, thank you for sticking with me this far - I really hope you're enjoying the story. I actually started it in 2016 and I've got it figured out inside my head, so now that I've picked it up, all that's left to do is write it! I'll upload my chapters as soon as possible after they're finished, and I hope you love reading about Jean and James as much as I am enjoying writing it._**

 ** _-Xo, Scarlett-_**


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